2026 March Madness women's bracket: Predicting every game - ESPN

After 4½ months of predicting which teams would make up the 2026 women's NCAA tournament field, we're no longer projecting which teams are in the bracket. It's time to pick the winners for every game in it.

Put down the pencil. This exercise is about your brain and gut working as one and going with your first instinct. Make a pick. Move teams along. Don't look back. I made these picks without hesitation: Read the matchup, made a quick assessment and selected a winner. That's an instant bracket. A season's worth of slowly consumed basketball knowledge now explodes onto a blank bracket. Here are my picks for every game of the 2026 women's NCAA tournament.

Jump to: Fort Worth 1 Region | Sacramento 2 Region | Fort Worth 3 Region | Sacramento 4 Region | Final Four

SACRAMENTO 2 REGIONAL

No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers 72, No. 11 Richmond Spiders 62

FORT WORTH 3 REGIONAL

No. 16 Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 56, No. 16 Missouri State Lady Bears 48

SACRAMENTO 4 REGIONAL

No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils 61, No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers 59

No. 16 Southern Jaguars 60, No. 16 Samford Bulldogs 50

FIRST-ROUND PICKS

No. 1 UConn Huskies 111, No. 16 UTSA Roadrunners 47

No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones 62, No. 9 Syracuse Orange 58

No. 5 Maryland Terrapins 78, No. 12 Murray State Racers 64

No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels 80, No. 13 Western Illinois Leathernecks 58

No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 88, No. 11 Fairfield Stags 52

No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 77, No. 14 Howard Bison 42

No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes 62, No. 7 Illinois Fighting Illini 61

No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores 87, No. 15 High Point Panthers 50

SECOND-ROUND PICKS

No. 1 UConn 90, No. 8 Iowa State 58

No. 4 North Carolina 77, No. 5 Maryland 65

No. 6 Notre Dame 60, No. 3 Ohio State 58

No. 2 Vanderbilt